3 Eco-Friendly Changes Ian Somerhalder Wants You To Make At Home Right Now

"You don't need to make drastic changes in your life; it's about small behavioral changes and patterns," he says, going on to explain how household-level action can add up to sweeping change. "When you save energy, you cut down on air pollution—which then encourages people to get outside more, drives down the health care cost of pollution-related illnesses, and drives innovation." Here are three quick, simple changes he recommends starting with:

"Twenty-three percent of all the energy that comes into our homes goes into devices that are turned off," explains Somerhalder. "By unplugging those devices, you're going to get a lot of energy savings and save money."

By powering up dishwashers and washing machines during off hours—before 4 p.m. and after 9 p.m.—you're taxing the grid a little less and saving money. "When you change the time you're using those big devices that suck the most energy, you're really doing your checkbook and the environment a great service." Take this tweak a step further by opting to run your devices on cold water whenever possible. "Ninety percent of the energy used washing clothes goes toward heating the water," says Somerhalder, who organized a "cold wash party" at a laundromat in LA in honor of this year's Earth Day.

Somerhalder isn't the only celeb using their influence for good. Check out the work that Ellie Goulding is doing to help save the planet here.